A Farewell to a Friend

Tonight was Dennis Bredow's last free night before heading back to the States. He's been over here since July, and now he and his family are heading home. We've overlapped here for about two weeks, and we decided to conclude our run by having dinner and a pint at the Llandoger Trow, a local pub reputed to have been a favorite of author Robert Louis Stevenson -- this is allegedly the very pub that Long John Silver visited in the classic tale Treasure Island. We ordered up some bangers and mash, served piping hot inside a Yorkshire Pudding, and a pint of Spitfire Ale. Spitfire was one of the first beers I tried over here (in the bottle), and although I had good things to say about it then, it's even better from the tap (check out that thick, creamy head). It's a little different, because in the pubs, most ales here are served from pump taps, and there is very little done to chill them (it's typically the lagers that are served from the pull taps we see at home, and they are refrigerated). This does not necessarily mean that they're served warm, as my British friend and Aardman coworker Alan Short tells me, as most of the kegs are stored in the basements, which are generally cold and humid. Room temperature does not equal warm, he continues, especially since back in the day of Robert Louis Stevenson, rooms were much colder due to the absence of central heating systems. At any rate, this ale is served cool but not cold, still a far cry from 'warm'. This one is excellent -- fruity, floral -- the closest thing I've had to an American IPA since I've been here. There are British IPAs too, which I will certainly try out. The meal, too, is outstanding -- the best I've had since landing here.